The Portland daily press., 1887-10-13
Charles +. Stair Says His Father Was
the Murderer.
Stair, The Elder, Now in the Hands Of
Officers.
Hunted Down by journalist and a
Sheriff.

the officers Stair lived here several years
and worked at the boot and shoe repairing.
He formerly lived in Midway. At the time
of the alleged robbery he was not resident
here. He has been reported to be worth
several thousand dollars.
NEW YORK, Oct. 12.-The Evening World
today publishes the following:
Just before sundown on the night of
Washington's Birthday, 1878. the National
and State Savings Bank of the town of Dex-
ter, Me-, were robbed, and the treasurer, j.
W. Barron, was murdered, and his almost
llfeless body found bleeding and unconscious
in the bank vaults. Although the iron doors
of the safe were wide open. their valuable
contents were undisturbed, and the only
booty secured by the robbers was about 5000
in mo ney, and $500 bond which was not
negotiable, and which was taken from the
cash drawer ~ For more than nine years the
murderer of Treasurer Barron and the his
tory OF the robbery have remained an un-
fathomabe mystery. In the interval de-
signing or malicious persons started the the
ory that Mr.. Barron, fearing exposure for al
legged defalcations, had committed suicide
This. theory attained such currency in Dex-
ter that the widow has been socially ostra-
clsed by large proportion of her neighbors
there.
Some three weeks ago the New York
World learned that young man in Maine
had confessed to his full knowledge of the
murder, and that his father and some others
were the murderers. A World reporter Sc
cure full statement from this young man,
Charles Francis Stair, and in company with
Sheriff Mitchell of Maine, today arrested in
Massachusetts, town, David Stair, charged
with the murder of Cashier Barron.
The World of tomorrow morning will
puollshed twelye-eolumn account of how
the confession was made and procured, the
search for cOrroborative testimony, the way
In which the accused was located and ar
rested, and young Stairs confession in full
A part of this confession is herewith given.
After telling how Stair, the elder; Oliver
Smith, alias Cromwell, a well-known Grim
inal, and two other men and himself reached
the neighborhood of Dexter with well-lad
plan Tor robblng the bank, young Stair SAYS
while waited with the team at Bing-
ham, and next day at Solon, Cromwell and
nolssance OF the bank. Andrews, ThOmp-
son and Kelly had made impressions of all
the outside and inside doors of the building,
which contained both the national and saw
Masonic hall in the top story. During the
day the building was almost entirely desert
ed, and father and the rest of the gang, by
means of their skeleton keys. entered the
building and made tour of inspection.
During the forenoon, Billy Scott entered
the building by means of a skeleton key, and
took position in the Masonic Hall, in the
top of the building, where he could watch
those who came in and out of the building.
While Scott was on watch in the Masonic
Hall father and Cromwell were in an office
which Andrews had taken right opposite
the bank. He pretended to be an agent for
Connecticut firm Scott remained on
watch all day in Masonic Hall, and father,
Cromwell and Andrews kept close in the
latter's office across the way, They saw
man go into the building. He was an insur-
ance agent who had an office there. In
short time this insurance agent came out
again, and, as they supposed, everything
was clear. In some way, however, Cashier
Barron had entered the building during the
day unobserved.
After the insurance agent left his office,
father @ and Cromwell came down from An
drews's bogus Office across the street, let
themselves into the bank building by their
false keys. and locked the door after them.
They proceeded up stairs. Father produced
a key, opened a door which led into the
bank, and when they had entered locked the
door again. This was the outer room of the
bank, and father walked through it to the
door that enters the vault room.
He put his hand to the knob, opened the
door and suddenly stood face to face with
treasurer Barron, who at the same moment
had his hand on the knob ON the other side
on his way back from the coal closet, carry
ing hod of coal in one hand ana fire SHOW
ell in the ether. Instantly, and without
word, father pulled slung shot from his
pocket, and struck Mr.. Barron on the right
side of the face. Barron staggered, and in
another moment father struck him
another blow with the slung-shOt on the top
OF the head, and Barron fell to the floor. He
was not, however, unconscious, and tried to
rise, when father leaped forward and struck
him third blow, again on the head. Crom-
well then Jumped forward. grasped him by
the throat, Slung moose around his neck
and pulled tight, while father forced gag
into the. PROSTATE mans mouth and knotted
it at the back of his head. Tney then
proceeded to handeuff his hands behind his
back end laid the handcuff key on the floor
behind him. AT this time he was unconscious.
Father took Barr0n's keys from his pocket
and thrust them into his own pocket Then
Cromwell and father together lifted Barron,
carried him into the vault and laid him ON
the floor. The great iron door of one of the
sales was open, but neither father nor CrOm-
well dared to make an examination of the
contents of the vault. They hastily closed
the door. Father drew Darron's KEYS from
his pocket and unlocked the money drawer
in the front room of the bank He gathered
up what loose money there was there,
amounting IT, little less than $500. and
thrust $500 bond. which was lying in the
drawer, into his pocket. At this moment
Scout. who had neen on watch in Masonic
nall above, hurried down stairs and Knocked
az the door OF the bank. Father and Crom-
well both together asked, whats the matter,
DN'J 1AO tNPliCQ. l. Ill dlTdlu Llere Is
something wrong; we had better get out of
mere Father unlocked the door and told
Scott that they had surprised Barron in the
bank and had knocked him down and gagged
hnT: hlm Scott scott sal SAID: Immediately; MY God,
no time to lose, either. His friends or some
body will be around here before long lacking
for him. Father and Cromwell passed down
the main staircase, opened the front door.
wlTh Iase KEYS Tcked 1t after them and
| Scott let himself out of the back window of
| the building and joined the other two far
ther down the street. Andrews ioined the
three on the street, and they secreted them
| selves somewhere in Dexter until after sun-
down. The three then came out of their
hiding place and got. in wagon that was
waiting for them, and were driven rapidly
to Scion, arriving there about midnight
| didn't arrive there until o'clock with my
team, in accordance with the orders given
me by father. Cromwell and Scott STAYED at
Selden ThompsOn's hotel at Solon that
night, L took father into my wagon at 4
O'Clock and drove to North Ans0n. The
next next morning ntnI CrSmwell and Scott took the
father and myself drove the three to
| Sk0whegan. During the drive heard the
full history of the attempted robbery and
the murder.
"We did not know until we reached Skow. =.
hegan that the assault on Treasurer Barron
had proved fatal. On arriving there INV ia
ther bought copy of the Daily Telegram.
and there found the announcement of the
murder; The only thing my father said
when he looked at the paper, was: "For
Gods sake, boys, what's to be done?" Scott
and Cromwell seized the paper. and glance
at the headline showed them what thew had
done. 1t was Immediately agreed that the
gang should separate. drove the team 10
Gardiner, AZ miles away, and when reached
home on the cars, found the gang there"
Worked Up by Maine Men.
[SDecal to the PREssl